I was banded June 23, 2008. I had my 5th fill Monday Nov. 24th. I could immediately tell that I was finally restricted. The nurse said that my doc may have filled me too much because it took me a long time to drink the cup of water she gave me. My doctor had already left because he was called to an emergency. I have 4.5cc's in a 10cc band. I thought I should have 6cc's now but I think he must have missed the port the last 2 times. I know that I am still swollen from the fill but I am having a real hard time drinking liquids. I am on liquids for 2 days, mushies for 2 days then solids. On Monday I had 1 cup of coffee before my fill. After the fill I could only get down about 8 ounces of water for the rest of the day. Today I had 2 small sips of coffee this morning and about 8 ounces of cold tea w/equal which I am still sipping on now. I am taking really tiny sips and when I swallow I feel painful tightening in my chest and then about 3-5 seconds later I hear and feel like a gurgling in my chest followed by a belch and then the pain calms down. It happens every time I take a sip. I am afraid to start mushies tomorrow because I don't want to get anything stuck. I don't want to get an unfill yet because I want to give the swelling time to go down. Is this what restriction feels like or am I too tight? I know it will loosen up in a couple of days but I just want to know if anyone else has had a similar situation happen to them? If so what happened and what did you do?

Give it time. Fills have a way of "settling in", so don't be too hasty in getting any taken out. Now, if you absolutely cannot get ANYTHING down at all, then you need to take action. But as long as something is going down, give it some time to settle in.

Also various factors can influence the tightness of your band as well. Time of day, barometric pressure, time of month (in females), and so on... Be patient, if you feel tight, drink some warm liquids and see how it goes over the next several days before you make any decisions.

I have to respectfully disagree with Tom. IMO, it sounds like you are too tight. You only were able to tolerate 8 oz of Clear Liquids the first day, and it sounds like that's about all you're having again. That's not enough Fluid....watch out or you'll get dehydrated, and that can lead to all sorts of bad things, medically.

The purpose of the band is to help you feel more full on smaller portions, not to be a "food policeman". Challenging the band can also lead to bad things.....I'd be thinking "unfill" if it were me.

I have to respectfully disagree with Tom. IMO, it sounds like you are too tight. You only were able to tolerate 8 oz of clear liquids the first day, and it sounds like that's about all you're having again. That's not enough Fluid....watch out or you'll get dehydrated, and that can lead to all sorts of bad things, medically.

The purpose of the band is to help you feel more full on smaller portions, not to be a "food policeman". Challenging the band can also lead to bad things.....I'd be thinking "unfill" if it were me.

There's a whole ton of variables that can be leading to that tightness though, and to just run out and get an unfill automatically without considering all those variables first is irresponsible. I've had the band plenty long enough to know this for sure. As long as she is getting fluid in, she can nurse enough fluid to keep from getting dehydrated, even if it means sipping continuously for a period of time to see if the band loosens on its own or not. If not, then seek the unfill. This is in no way, shape or form "challenging the band". But, I'm sure that as you age with your band you'll learn that as well.

No, that's not what restriction feels like. You're way too tight.

And you'll probably find that as your body gets desperate for some nourishment, you'll start to eat rubbish that goes down easily - chocolate, liquid calories, ice cream.

I'd get some fill out. My normal experience of a fill is that I can go out and have lunch an hour afterwards, I dont need to and have never been told to do the liquids to mushies regime after fills, just to eat carefully. Each fill has been a teeny increment tighter, I have NEVER had a single bit of trouble getting fluids down and whislt I see what Tom is saying, I'd rather have the fill out and then sneak up on the restriction with more fills over time than wait it out and see if it loosens (which it probably wont do anyway). And being too tight nearly always leads to eating very poorly.

I think I've taken about 10 fills (and one unfill) to get where I am now, which is 2.9ml in a 4ml band.

Edited November 26, 200817 yr by Jachut

It's dangerous to be too restricted. Call your surgeon tomorrow and get a small unfill so you won't be stuck in an ER over the holidays. You shouldn't have to struggle to get liquids down.

Thank you all for your comments. They are all helpful. I was able to drink 4oz of light orange juice this morning and I had the same pain in my chest followed by the gurgling after every sip. At one point the juice was sitting in my throat and I thought it was going to come back up but it went down. I will try to drink a protein shake this evening. If by this evening I can't drink the protein shake I will go in for an unfill. I don't want to resort to eating unhealthy slider foods and I also don't want to get stuck. I just feel that if I get an unfill and I become too loose then I will be tempted to eat things I know I shouldn't, just because I can. I am hoping this is just swelling because my doctor told me that I will have some swelling after each adjustment and that is why he has me on liquids for 2 days, mushies for 2 days then solids. I do appreciate everyones advise. I think I was just a little scared lastnight because I have never felt this before. Thank you all for your comments and I will post an update later today.

I have been through every stage of too loose and too tight . . . and you sound much too tight. You are not getting in enough liquids.

That chest tightening feeling shouldn't occur with just liquids. Also, if you are only taking in liquids and have not moved on to mushies yet . . . it doesn't sound like it is going to get better quickly.

Also, if you do start mushies and get stuck and pb . . . sometimes that causes swelling in your stomach which will make you even tighter than you are now. If you get much tighter, liquids may not go down and then you have an emergency situation.

I would call now and see if you can get in today. Otherwise, given that this is a holiday weekend, you may not be able to get loosened up until early next week . . . which can be miserable and not very safe for your band or your health.

I agree with HeatherO (she has been there, done that!)

You should be able to swallow liquids smoothly. Don't wait until you are dehydrated and it's a trip to the ER. Call your surgeon and see what he says; a slight unfill won't put you back to zero but if you wait you risk having a complete unfill or worse. Please call them!

please get a slight unfill :smile2:my first fill was 2.5 mls in a 10 ml band -felt nothing ! 2nd fill came and the nurse agreed to put in anothe 2 mls taking me up to 4.5mls . i went into the waiting room and got a glass of water -well like u said it gurgled and felt strange :confused:i told the nurse and she said it was deffinatly too tight - i went back in and all she took out was .5 mls leaving me at 4mls . i tried some more water and it went down no problem :thumbup:u should NEVER EVER have restriction on water etc. ......... if u feel uncomfortable on clear fluids then u will be stuck on soup !!!!!!!!!! i think the vast majority that have answered u have ur best interests at heart .......please get a small unfill and let us know how u go :wink_smile:xxx

I agree with all of you. I tried eating some tuna in mayo last night and although I took less than dime size bites it got stuck and I was terrified. I couldn't breathe, my eyes were watering, my mouth was overflowing in secretions, and I had waves of tightening in my chest. I kept swallowing the saliva in my mouth then had 2 sips of water and the tuna went down. I was so scared and I don't want to ever experience that again. I am going to stay on liquids until Monday then go in for an unfill.

I had read once before about pain after eating or drinking and wondered about it, since Iv never felt anything I would call pain.

Interesting. I think I would try and ride it out since you can still do liquids. My fill doctor wouldnt fill me near that tight. She checks with barium after each fill and watches it go into the stomach and if its not going fast enough, she removes part of the fill. Id personally like a tighter fill, but she wouldnt do it.

I see most advise a unfill. Im having another fill in 2 more days and was hoping to get tighter, but maybe this is a case of not wanting to get too tight, there is too tight too. Sounds like good advise you are getting. Having never been too tight, its hard to imagine, but I know I wouldnt want to be there either, just want to lose faster. Get a small unfill if by Monday you still have trouble with liquids.

Edited November 27, 200817 yr by flowers